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<title>Three Houses: Colored Glass - (Twin Byleth Fic) by Vamirio (orphan_account)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22960501">Three Houses: Colored Glass - (Twin Byleth Fic)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Vamirio'>Vamirio (orphan_account)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Multi, Reimagining of Plot, Twin Byleths, Twinleth AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:49:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,143</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22960501</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Vamirio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Byleth(M) and Byres(F) have always lived life as mercenaries with their father, Jeralt. But, when the two start having strange dreams and are met with some interesting visitors, their routine work is interrupted by their duty to all of Fódlan. </p><p>Who is the strange girl in their heads with the ability to stop time? Who is the green-haired archbishop who seems to know far more than she should? And most importantly, how will the stone-faced brother and sister deal with all these crazy kids?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Three Houses: Colored Glass - (Twin Byleth Fic)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Fire! Fire!”</p><p>Screams rang out across the Monastery. The entirety of the Main Hall was aflame. Smoke poured out the main double doors, clouding the sky and obscuring the nighttime stars. Soot-covered guards rushed from the fishing pond with buckets, pots, and even helmets filled to the brim with water. Men and women streamed from the building, crying and gasping, running away from the blazing tongues of flame.</p><p>One person, however, did not run.</p><p>On the third floor of the Main Hall, the Archbishop hurriedly ran towards the Captain’s Quarters- not to request help with the fire, nor to demand an explanation.</p><p>She just needed to see if they were still there.</p><p>Smoke began to fill the corridors. The Archbishop made her way down the hallway. One, two. Second door, on the right. She seized the doorknob and flung the door open.</p><p>The room was empty. No Knight Captain. No armor on the stand. No longsword propped against the wall, no backpack flung on the floor.</p><p>No babies to be found.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Byleth was dreaming again.</p><p>In front of him, two armies clashed at the center of an ashen field—one a shining force of mounted knights, the other an amalgamate band of marauders. Above them, storm clouds rumbled and rained down smoky drops upon the warriors. Steel rang against steel as the front lines pressed forward, each approaching an unknown goal. </p><p>The smell of blood filled the air as his gaze swept the field, searching. Searching for… his enemy? These filthy bandits in front of him… all of them were his enemy. But there was more- someone he knew specifically. Someone who had committed an unforgivable sin.</p><p>He was in a woman’s body this time. A fairly tall one, judging from the heights of the soldiers around him. An arrow pierced the throat of his retainer beside him, dropping the unfortunate man to the bloodstained earth. Another stepped up to take his place, the dead man’s corpse left behind as Byleth’s procession marched forward.</p><p>Who was he? Who was he, who had the backing of hundreds of knights, who could afford to lose those hundreds of knights in search of one man? Byleth tried to turn his head to look down at himself, to maybe gain a clue as to his own identity—but to no avail. A rush of emotions whirled through his mind. He felt within his heart the anger towards the bandits, the disdain at the weather, and the resolve to push forward. These emotions were not his own. He felt like an intruder, weighing in on the private thoughts that should never be revealed to the light of day.</p><p>An enemy soldier broke through the line and charged him, but a knight of Byleth’s own stepped in the way and took the blow. Another knight dispatched the bandit with ease. Byleth attempted to wrench his gaze towards the fallen enemy.</p><p>His eyes remained fixed ahead.</p><p>A sword plummeted from the grey heavens and pierced the rotted earth. A roar of flame burst from the point where it had struck, enveloping the armored soldiers around it in a crimson flower. Men screamed as they broiled within its blazing petals, filling the air with the scent of charred flesh.</p><p>The earth shook as a figure fell from the sky into the center of the flames. Dust and mud splashed outward from the impact. A small glob hit Byleth’s cheek. He paid it no heed.</p><p>The fire dissipated. A tall man stood at the center of the scorched circle. He was bare chested, with only shoulder pads and greaves for protection. His cape unfurled behind him as he reached out and withdrew the sword from where it was embedded in the dirt. He was the very image of a classical warrior, save for his long, unkempt grey hair and beard. Byleth could not see the man’s face from this distance, but he knew within his heart that it would be lined with wrinkles, his skin folding, his body slowly failing. The memory of the man’s face was etched deeply into the woman’s soul.</p><p>Disgraceful. This man needed to die. He bit back a snarl. This man’s presence, no, <em> his very existence </em>was an affront to all that Byleth held dear. Everything about the figure in front of him had to disappear. His actions, his words, his beliefs and teachings, every single mark this man had made upon the world had to be erased.</p><p>No, that wasn’t right. The emotions were not his. Why would he, an outsider, care so much about the feud between this man and woman? There was no logical reason.</p><p>And yet, the rage, the wrath, the fury with which the woman held the man in contempt stirred his soul in a way Byleth had never felt before. He felt himself almost sinking into the woman’s mind, drawn in by the intoxicating allure of raw emotion. It was something Byleth himself rarely felt—and it was beautiful.</p><p>The man moved forward towards Byleth. Several knights rushed forward to stop him. Their war cries were quickly silenced. The man’s sword unfurled like a whip, stretching out and lashing each of them across their chests, throats, their heads. He swung it once, twice, each swing cutting a swathe through the numbers of charging knights. Despite his apparent age, the man moved like a dancer, dodging attacks easily and twisting his monstrous blade to retaliate.</p><p>As the thirtieth knight fell to the muddy ground, a growl formed in the woman’s throat. There would be no more killing of her men. She would have to execute this man herself. She raised her sword and charged.</p><p>The speed and power with which the woman’s body moved astounded him. Underneath the flowing white robes she wore, Byleth could feel her muscles expanding and retracting, lithe from hours upon hours of intense training—all for this one moment. All for this single instance where she could take back the lives of her family, her friends, her people. The clouds retreated, allowing the Sun to finally shine on the field. Warmth filled her body.</p><p>The armies parted—like a school of herrings making way for a barracuda. It was just Byleth and the aged warrior. They met in the middle of a wide circle. No sane man would stand close to the two if he wished to keep his head.</p><p>The two performed their deadly dance of steel, neither gaining an advantage. Byleth struck with his silver blade, but the man parried each attempt with his yellowed whip-sword. He swung and once again he was surprised at the incredible power contained within this woman’s body. The two locked blades, and Byleth got his first good view of the man’s face. Wrinkles, liver spots, telltale signs of age. It was a wonder that such an old-looking man could keep up. Byleth strained, trying to push his blade towards the man’s head.</p><p>Then, the man struck.</p><p>A low kick—a dirty trick fitting of a creature as disgusting as he—knocked Byleth off balance. Byleth stepped back, nearly slipping on the soaked earth. He snarled in defiance. The man raised his sword. It unfurled once again, and he swung it at him.</p><p>His body, thankfully, reacted, and the tip of the extended blade barely skimmed his stomach. An idea formed in his mind. The man took a step forward and swung the sword again, making a second pass towards Byleth’s midsection. He blocked it and angled his sword so that the man’s whirling blade wrapped itself around his own. He braced himself and wrenched the sword out of the man’s grip, then tossed the two interlocked blades aside.</p><p>The woman’s rage reached its boiling point. Heedless of any risk, she rushed forward and delivered a punch to the man’s head, following up with a kick to his chest using her spiked boots. The man toppled backward into the grey mud and tried to rise, but the woman planted her knee on his chest, pinning him down. She unsheathed her concealed dagger and held it to the man’s throat. The two were face to face, with only an inch separating them. Byleth’s wrath flared. In that moment, he saw an emotion in the man’s eyes that the man likely never felt—fear.</p><p>For the first time, the woman spoke. Her voice was slightly hoarse, but behind the soft scratch was a burning anger that solidified in its harsh tone.</p><p>“Tell me, Nemesis. Do you recall the Red Canyon?”</p><p>The man’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth.</p><p>In that very moment, the rage within the woman seared itself into Byleth’s brain. That this man before him would have the audacity to even <em> feel </em>any emotion was far more than he ever deserved. There would be no questions, there would be no responses. He raised his dagger and plunged it into the man’s throat.</p><p>“You’ll die for that! Die! Die!”</p><p>He punctuated each and every word with another stab, riddling the man’s bare throat and chest with holes. Blood splattered across his robes.</p><p>“You took…everything that I loved.”</p><p>He raised his dagger once more and drove it into the man’s eye, then rose to his feet. The armies around him were silent. There was no more clashing of steel, no more shouting of men. Only now in the eerie silence did Byleth realize that he was breathing heavily—great gasps of air. The rush of emotion seemed so real, like he had been doing the stabbing himself.</p><p>Slowly, a cheer rose from the throats of the knights. The lowlife bandits were fleeing. They flung down their weapons and ran, away from the battlefield, away from the woman standing atop their commander’s corpse.</p><p>On the ground nearby, the whip-sword retracted and returned to its base form, untangling itself from his own sword. The woman knelt down and hugged it to his face. It was stained with blood, but that didn’t matter to her. She sighed in relief.</p><p>“He’s gone now, Mother…”</p><p>The world shook as the light in the sky began to fold in on itself. Byleth’s mind left the woman’s body and drifted amongst the stars. A rush of images passed through his head in an instant—a gorilla smashing rocks against a tree, a massive coliseum filled with duelists, a massive crowd in a gleaming white city, a navy of ships in a raging storm, and, strangely, a collection of massive metal pillars in a dark cavern.</p><p>Then it all faded to black.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt4iOA2-Aog">Song: The Spirit Dais</a>
</p><p>Byres was dreaming again. She had just witnessed a massive battle on a field… and a gruesome death. And now, she was in the dark.</p><p>A massive stone staircase topped by a grey throne emerged from the endless void. Atop it lay a sleeping girl with long green hair wearing the most <em> curious </em>outfit composed of purple silks and flowing… ropes? </p><p>The girl stirred, then sat up and yawned.</p><p>“Oh my. What could have brought you here?”</p><p>Despite the apparent distance between them, Byres could hear the girl perfectly well, almost like she was speaking directly into her head rather than her ears. She made no attempt to speak. It was another one of <em> those </em>dreams. The ones where she couldn’t move nor talk and was only a witness to fantastical events- or so she thought.</p><p>The girl pouted slightly. “Do not just stand there with a blank expression! Your open mouth looks like that of a fish!”</p><p>Byres realized that her mouth was indeed open in an expression of slack-jawed incredulity. She closed it, then froze. She had just moved. The girl had addressed her directly. Was this not another one of her strange dreams?</p><p>The girl continued. “How did you get in here? It is most rude to interrupt a moment of repose. Come forward. I wish to have a look at you.”</p><p>Byres stepped forward. Her boot clicked softly on the stone floor. A similar sound echoed in the chamber, coming from her right. She was not alone with the girl.</p><p>It was her younger twin brother, Byleth. He looked the same as ever, a pillar of consistency in the ever-confusing world of dreams. Same blue hair, same blank stare. Oh, that was a good rhyme. She would have to use it later.</p><p>“Hmmm… I have not seen the likes of you before. Who are you two, anyway?” The girl on the throne leaned her head in her hand, looking down at the two with an expression of suppressed amusement.</p><p>“I’m a ghost,” Byres said automatically, cutting off her brother. </p><p>“A ghost?” The girl’s eyes glittered. “Oh, how interesting! How did you pass away?”</p><p>Byleth held up a hand. “She’s not a gh-”</p><p>Byres cut him off. “I used to be a great warrior, but a woman with green hair stabbed me. Now I haunt green-haired people as revenge...”</p><p>The girl didn’t say anything. Neither did her brother. He just gave a sigh and covered his eyes with a hand. After a moment, the girl slapped the armrest of her throne and kicked the air repeatedly.</p><p>“You think me a child!” she said. “You try and terrify me with a tale of terror. Well, I am not so easily fooled. Do not deceive. You would do well to keep your wit in line.”</p><p>“She is not a ghost. Neither am I. We are just mortals,” Byleth said.</p><p>The girl seemed to calm down. “I see. Then you both must have a name. Go on.”</p><p>“I am Byleth.”</p><p>“I’m Byres.”</p><p>“Huh. I shall never grow accustomed to the sound of human names. Well, if you are mortals, then you must possess a day of birth as well. Under what moon and what day were you born to this world?”</p><p>“We’re twins, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at Mister Grumpy over here.”</p><p>“9/20. The twentieth of Horsebow Moon.”</p><p>“Well, wonders never cease! It seems we all share a day of birth. How strange!” The girl clapped her hands. “It all feels so… familiar.”</p><p>She yawned. “I think it may be time for yet another nap… It is almost...time to...begin…”</p><p>The throne, the chamber, and Byleth all faded into darkness. Byres felt like she was falling, falling, falling down an endless hole into absolute nothingness.</p><p>She hit the floor, knocking her head on the bed frame in the process. Where was she now?</p><p>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvH3yF33TyQ">Song: Calm Winds Over Gentle Waters</a>
</p><p>Byleth sat up on the bed next to her and threw off the covers. He immediately unsheathed his dagger and began to clean it.</p><p>Oh. Back to reality. She got up from the floor and sat down next to Byleth.</p><p>“Polishing your dagger, Byleth?”</p><p>“Yes. Is there an issue?”</p><p>“No, I was just thinking about what they call people who play with their dagger first thing in the morning.”</p><p>“Meticulous?”</p><p>“Single.”</p><p>He sighed. “Did you learn that from Erik?”</p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>“Stay away from him. Last week at Grond-”</p><p>“Oh, don’t worry about me, Byleth, I’ve got everything covered.”</p><p>“Really? Explain why I had to save you when you rushed ahead for the fifth time.”</p><p>“I was… Well, I’ve saved you at <em> least </em>three times now!”</p><p>“Hey, kids, quit your bickering.” Jeralt stood in the doorway. A few days rest in Remire Village had done his complexion wonders. The Eisner family really did need more rest time. “Yeesh. You two rarely do this, so why now, when we’re about to leave?”</p><p>“Sorry, Dad. Didn’t sleep well,” Byres said.</p><p>“Were you having that dream again?” Jeralt hefted the twins’ packs from by the door in one hand. “The one about the girl?”</p><p>“Yes,” they said in unison.</p><p>“You two had the same dream?”</p><p>“Well, I think so,” Byres said. “Byleth, did your dream involve a green-haired girl on a throne?”</p><p>“Yes. She compared you to a fish.”</p><p>Jeralt shook his head. “Green hair…”</p><p>The twins looked at him in confusion.</p><p>“Never mind. Put it out of your minds for now. The battlefield is no place for idle thoughts. Letting your mind wander is a sure way to get yourself killed. Let’s get moving. The next job just came—it’s in the Kingdom. We have to leave now.”</p><p>“Of course,” said Byleth. “I just need to double-check my gear.”</p><p>“Make it quick. Everyone’s already waiting.”</p><p>Jeralt tossed the two their bags, then left the room. Byres grabbed her things, hastily stuffing equipment and clothes into the pockets. She glanced over at Byleth. He was counting his arrows, arranging each one perfectly parallel to the next.</p><p>“Forty-five. But… I just have to be sure…” He murmured to himself. He picked them all up and began to count again. Byres didn’t get it. He just finished counting, why start again?</p><p>“Hey, c’mon, we have to go.”</p><p>“Mmmph.” He grabbed the arrows and bundled them. “Alright, I’m ready.” His voice sounded strained.</p><p>The two closed the door behind them and made their way to the main square. The rest of the Eisner Mercenaries were gathered around in a large group, talking hurriedly. Jeralt noticed the two, and beckoned them over. Only then did Byres notice the cause of the commotion.</p><p>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGodxW3Sx4k">Song: Dark Clouds Gather</a>
</p><p>Three young adults, each in a primary-colored outfit, were shuffling about anxiously. A blond man in blue, a brown-haired and dark-skinned man in yellow, and a white-haired woman in red. Byres found her eyes drawn towards the peculiar young woman, particularly to her unusual hair and its stark color.</p><p>“Please forgive our intrusion,” said the one in blue. His voice bore the accent of nobility. “We wouldn’t want to bother you were the situation not dire.”</p><p>“What do a bunch of kids need at this hour?” Jeralt asked.</p><p>“We’re being pursued by a group of bandits,” the youth continued. “I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support.”</p><p>“Bandits?”</p><p>The girl in red spoke. Byres hadn’t taken her eyes off her for one moment. “It's true. They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp.” She, too, had the sort of stifling energy in her voice characteristic of the upper class.</p><p>“We’ve been separated from our companions and we’re outnumbered. They’re after our lives…not to mention our gold. I’m Claude, by the way. Nice to meet you all. The uptight one is Dimitri, and the intense one’s called Edelgard.”</p><p>“This is not the time, Claude,” Dimitri said. “We need to-”</p><p>A scout dashed into the square, gasping for air. “Captain… bandits in the forest… barely got away.” The man took off his helm and collapsed on the ground.</p><p>Jeralt turned to the three newcomers. “Looks like they followed you here. We can’t abandon the village now. To arms!”</p><p>The mercenaries cheered and gathered their equipment in preparation for the upcoming battle.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading my first fanwork! </p><p>3H: Painted Glass will focus on the development of Byleth and Byres as they work their jobs at Garreg Mach Monastery. I plan to tackle the story in chronological order. While this first chapter may be a bit... conforming to the script of 3 Houses, I promise that later bits will ABSOLUTELY be shaped by the presence of two Byleths. Post-TS will be almost entirely different.</p><p>Comments are absolutely appreciated. I read them all and will be taking all feedback, positive or negative, into consideration.</p><p>Follow me on twitter! https://twitter.com/Vamirio4<br/>I hope you will continue following their story! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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